All Kinds of Fast

Optimizing wheels to perform with precision and control at the depth of the 808 Firecrest® Carbon Clincher is pure engineering science. While the 808 Firecrest’s aerodynamics and stability are proven every weekend in road races, triathlons and time trials around the world, understanding how profoundly good these wheels are only comes from riding the wheel that, as a set, has proven faster than any other.

Optimizing the revolutionary Firecrest aero-rim concept for an 82mm depth and the distinct airflow pattern of clincher tires required us to evaluate a slew of minutely varied prototypes through CFD, or computational fluid dynamics, software and in the wind tunnel. At 27.5 mm wide, the final version is the fastest deep-section carbon clincher in the world. Yet, with a weight of only 1,885 grams, it more than holds its own on the climbs.

With Firecrest’s unparalleled approach to the wheel’s center of pressure, the 808 Firecrest Carbon Clincher also handles crosswinds with the stability you’d normally associate with a much shallower rim – making the 808 Firecrest Carbon Clincher ideal for non-disc-legal courses like Kona. Plus, the wide rim shape provides efficient power transfer along with comfort and durability, making it an excellent choice for just about any terrain and riding style.

At the center of the 808 Firecrest Carbon Clincher is Zipp’s 77/177 hubset with best-in-class durability and improved bearing protection with no pre-load adjustment needed. The result is improved stiffness, durability, simplicity and versatility:

Includes newly designed quick-release skewers with a wider more ergonomic handle to provide more leverage for opening and closing. When closed, lever contours neatly with the frame.

New robust hub shape with distinctive graphics.

For those looking for a wider gear range, or tackling especially extreme terrain, an XDR driver body for 177 is sold separately and easily installed to allow for more cassette options including a 10-42. The hubset is designed to swap driver bodies without re-dishing the wheel.

In addition to Firecrest, all Zipp full-Carbon Clinchers feature an exclusive heat-resistant resin as part of the composite structure. Utilized in the 808 Firecrest Carbon Clincher, this technology prevents spikes in rim temperature and tire pressure that can impact performance and handling. Zipp Carbon Clinchers have never had a heat-related failure. So every rider can tackle even the longest, most technical descents with confidence. For triathletes and road racers seeking superior aero performance, stable handling, and the convenience of clinchers, there’s no faster all-around wheelset than the 808 Firecrest Carbon Clincher.

Firecrest Profile The biggest new feature of the Firecrest wheels is the rim shape. Zipp had the obvious (in retrospect) epiphany that the rim should be optimized to cut through the air with the tire as both the leading and trailing edge. A quick perusal of the latest offerings from Hed, Enve, 3T, and Shimano would seem to suggest that Zipp are on to something. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Firecrest profile completely supplants the familiar vee shape in a few years.

Check out "How Carbon Fiber Takes Your Wheelset Up a Notch" by Christopher Kautz in the September 2010 issue of Triathlete.

Firecrest

With the new proprietary Firecrest rim shape in our 202, 303, 404 and 808 Firecrest wheels, Zipp wheels make a bigger difference in more ways than ever. Not only is Firecrest more aerodynamic than any other rim design, it improves handling in crosswinds and overall ride quality.

Our superior Carbon Clincher technology is the culmination of two years of intensive prototyping and testing. We worked with our composites supplier to develop an exclusive heat-resistant resin based on the materials used in motorsports brake systems. This proprietary technology improves heat management so substantially that all Zipp Carbon Clinchers pass stringent CEN safety standards.

Advanced Boundary Layer Control (ABLC) refers to the patented and instantly recognizable dimpled pattern found on all of our carbon rims. ABLC smoothes airflow across the rim's surface and is tailored to every model from the 202 to the Super-9 Disc. The third-generation of ABLC has up to four times more dimples than before.

Visco-Elastic Constrained Layer Control (VCLC) uses a vibration-absorbing material sandwiched between layers of rigid carbon laminate in the rim. When the wheel receives an impact from the road, much of the shock is absorbed by the VCLC system, delivering a 10% reduction in vibration.

Electron Discharge Machining allows us to cut the materials for our rear hub drive internals after they’ve been hardened through heat treating, negating the warping and imprecision caused by the heat-treating process.

Zipp is the only company specifying Swiss made highly specialized ball bearing cartridges. Working with a family owned Swiss bearing manufacturer, Zipp is able to attain a superior level of bearing smoothness and long life. Zipp ball bearings are specified to 10 millionths of an inch tolerance, guaranteeing that they are at least 2.5 times rounder and better matched than most company’s “high precision” balls, and more than five times tighter than most “precision” balls.